A few twists and substitutions create a nearly guilt-free treat
After the holiday's end and Jan. 1 becomes just another date on my calendar, I immediately start to think about how to lose the weight I added during those holidays.
Before the holidays began, I promised to limit myself to small tastings of homemade-only cookies and candies. Unfortunately, I broke that promise frequently.
If you read the current crop of books about healthy weight loss diets you know, with some certainty, that sugars and insulin can be a major culprit when it comes to weight gain; not good news for those of us who indulge in holiday sweets.
For years I was certain the clearest paths to weight loss; trading artificial sweeteners for some or all dietary sugars. Studies have shown that may not have been the right path.
Those studies, gathered by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, seem to show that artificial sugar substitutes, such as Splenda or NutraSweet, can trigger weight gain, as well as other health issues. Visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/artificial-sweeteners.
What currently appears to be a way to cut dietary sugars, reduce calories and lessen insulin issues is using either stevia or monk fruit-based "natural" sugar substitutes.
I use organic stevia to make sure the stevia leaves haven't come in contact with pesticides or herbicides, as well as to avoid possible GMO additives (like dextrose, made from corn).
I can't see my way clear to go to zero dietary sugars. Right now, if I want a lower calorie, reduced fat, reduced sugar treat, I make it at home. Yes, that's a control issue on my part. However, I know what ingredients go into these rare treats.
A few readers have asked why I use stevia in packets, rather than the less expensive version that can be measured out. The answer is if I use 15 packets as a sugar substitute and you do, too, there's a good chance your results will be the same as mine.
Here's why. Six months ago I bought a one-pound container of organic stevia and was dismayed to find no indication whatsoever on the label as to its measurable equivalency to sugar. Plus, I don't know if different bulk stevia brands may not be equal to the same sweetness as cane sugar based on measurement. That's why when my recipe requires stevia or another natural sugar substitute; I list the sugar equivalent.
It didn't take long after the holidays for my sweet tooth to guide me to a recipe for "thin" brownies. The thin referred to its thickness, not that it was for weight loss.
However, that recipe from Rhoda Boone, the Food Director at epicurious.com, sparked an idea. If I could cut the added sugar in half, as well as reduce the added fat by half and cut them into smaller pieces (Boone's recipe called for 36 brownies, my new recipe makes 48), this might just be a treat for someone looking to lose weight or to keep it off.
I changed a lot in Boone's recipe including adding chocolate chips on top instead of in the batter because it was easier to spread the batter evenly and thinly in the pan without the chips or nuts in it. In the end, my brownies looked amazing.
One word of caution, each of my brownies delivers just 51 calories. They taste so good you'll be tempted to have more than one.
• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at don@ theleanwizard.com.